Second Chances
by KAM wuz here
Summary: The Volturi decide Bella can't be allowed to leave their castle alive, so she stays with them to save her life. With Caius, she may get a little more than she bargained for.
1. Chapter 1

**This is different. An unusual pairing for me, but i like this. Someone has made me fall deeply in love with Caius Volturi and this is what happened. A very Caius-obsessed person...you know who you are.  
This story will probably be about 5-10 chapters.  
ENJOY!**

I couldn't take this. This was absolutely worse than when Edward left me. It felt now like the entire weight of the world was crushing down on me, trying to force me to my knees, trying to squish me to the stone floors beneath my feet. Just like I belonged there. It's where I felt like I should be right now.

There was never a time where I felt more like the lowly human I am than now. It was easy for vampires to make you feel inferior, but for there to be a higher vampire power to make you feel more so is horrible. And this was horrible, having everyone stand around and deciding my own fate for me without my consent. And knowing that I might just lose Edward all over again after I just got him back is worse than him leaving me the first time.

And Volterra, Italy was not as nice as a place as it looked when you find yourself trapped in the Volturi castle, standing before possibly the most powerful beings on Earth waiting to hear a verdict while all the while every motion you make and every word that comes forward from your mouth is being judged.

Here's what I learned thus far: Aro is a loony, Marcus is a bore, Caius is a bastard, and Edward is an asshole.

Here's how it went down:

"May I?" Aro asked, lifting one hand eagerly.

"Ask _her_," Edward suggested in a flat voice.

I glanced at him in horror, wishing for him to shut up. I did not want to be brought into anything, and I did not want Aro to ask me anything. I was fine being silent for the moment, and not just because my voice seemed to not be working.

"Of course, how rude of me!" Aro exclaimed, startling me a little.

He then addressed me, saying that he was so fascinated by how I was immune to Edward's mind reading ability, and sense he possessed the same gift, he would like to know if I was such an exception to him as well. Despite his overt politeness at asking, I didn't believe he was actually _asking_. Actually, in the underlying tone scarcely realized, he was making it damn clear I had no choice. I was terrified, I did not want to touch him. At the same time, I was a little curious about his experiment, and of my own experiment, a little curious about the feel of his skin.

I slowly raised my hand, trying to get it to stop shaking, failing no matter how hard I tried. Aro steadied it with his own. His skin was even colder than Edward's, but it was of the same hardness, just more aged so it had a fragile sort of feel to it though it was not fragile in the least way.

Aro's face changed. The confidence wavered to doubt, odd to see on his features, and then his expression was hit with disbelief.

He stated that he saw nothing, and made it clear how that was the first time that's ever happened.

Yep, it was official, I was a human freak amongst vampires as well as my own human peers. This day was getting more fun as it went along.

I wasn't really thinking this at the time. I was just too scared out of my mind too think. This did not improve as Aro asked Jane if she could help him with further experimentation—that's all I was to this vampire, a human guinea pig—that consisted of seeing if she could create the illusion of me being on fire. Um…_ouch!_ This Aro guy put on a good show of being…_happy_…but that was evil.

Edward got pissy. He tried to attack little Jane, who smiled so innocently, who in return put Edward flat on his back before any of us could react. I didn't know what the hell was going on as I stared at Edward in horror, but it was clear from his expression that he was in excruciating pain. Jane had not touched him, yet there he was, writhing in pain on the floor. I was finally able to find my voice to scream for this to stop, tears brimming in my eyes.

Edward was just fine when Jane retracted her terrible gaze for him, but then forced it upon me. I glared at her defiantly, waiting for the pain to come, but I never felt a thing. Aro laughed, and Jane hissed menacingly. Aro held her back from the physical attack she was about to spring on me, and Edward was congratulated on his silent endurance. Then it was back down to business.

"Your talent would be an excellent addition to our little company."

"I'd…rather…not," was Edward's hesitant answer to Aro's invite.

"Alice?" he tried again, voice holding onto hope. "Would you perhaps be interested in joining us?"

"No, thank you," she said.

Aro put his hands together and sighed thoughtfully, his gaze switching over to me. "And young, beautifully Bella…. What do we do with you?"

"You already know what you're going to do, Aro," Marcus's slinking form in his throne uttered.

Aro smiled. "Tell me, what is that I am going to do?"

Edward grimaced, obviously not liking the thoughts of someone in the room. Because of what came next, I could safely assume whose thoughts he was too in tuned with.

"Aro, she's a liability," Caius said. His slight form sat in his thrown with his legs crossed, comfortably. His snow-white hair was a shock to spot, falling to his shoulders, and I made the mistake of meeting his obsidian eyes for a glance. Just a glance, but it sent a feeling like an electric shock sharply through my body.

Edward hissed beside me.

"The law claims them," he continued. His voice was thick, sneering. His voice was cruel, sharp as nails, steely…and I couldn't help but finding it so seductive.

"How so?" Edward demanded.

"She knows too much. You have broken the law by exposing our secrets."

"There are a few humans in on your charade here, as well," Edward reminded him.

I remembered the receptionist below. Edward was right, but it didn't take Caius more than a second to throw it back in him face. His lips twisted into a vindictive smirk as he responded.

"Yes. But when they are no longer useful to use, they will serve to sustain us. That is not your plan for this one. If she betrays our secrets, are you prepared to destroy her? I think not."

This made me angry. I had been keeping the secret for so long, plus protecting the also secretive existence of werewolves. And I was so good at that one that they had no clue. It was insulting for them to think I would betray the one I loved like that, and I intended on telling them so.

"I wouldn't—"

But Caius silenced me with an icy look. I noticed his eyes had a small touch of crimson in them, but they still looked black. This time, we just locked eyes longer and I was able to look better. His gaze absolutely took my breath away though. I thought, at that most ridiculous time, that he was definitely the most beautiful out of the three Volturi brothers. Then I decided, aw hell, screw _beautiful_, this man was too H-O-T _hot_!

"Nor do you intend to make her one of us!" he continued sharply to Edward. "Therefore, she is a vulnerability. Though it is true, for this, only _her _life is forfeit. You may leave if you wish."

Edward bared his teeth.

"That's what I thought," Caius said, clearly pleased with the response.

Aro interrupted, unhappy with the turn of the conversation. "Unless…," he mused. "Unless it is your intention, dear Edward, to give her immortality? And if you do, you would be free to go home. I'm only afraid that you would have to mean it."

Aro raised his hand in front of him.

Caius looked deeply displeased with this, but relaxed more as Edward hesitated longer.

I urged Edward to mean it, but he looked so tortured. I felt like I had just been kicked in the stomach. Was it really such a loathsome idea? Would he rather me _die_ than change me? I shouldn't have been surprised. He never wanted to change me. He never wanted to "damn my soul". He wanted me to grow old and live a normal human life and eventually die.

Well, that's wasn't could enough for me. That wasn't fair to me. I couldn't take that.

"Aro, the boy cannot mean it," Caius said. "Pathetic thing is practically in tears with such a decision. If he says he will change her, it is a lie. The only way to know if he is telling the truth would be for him to give her the gift now, else for us to kill her."

"But you are doubting the powers of my gift, brother," Aro said kindly.

"How powerful can they be if a mere _human_," he spit this like it was a dirty word, "can withstand them?"

"Sounds like someone's bitter they don't have a power," I muttered, completely forgetting about vampire hearing.

Caius glared murderously at me, his eyes saying he would show no mercy when he got his hands on me. Aro broke out into loud laughter, clapping his hand together.

"Oh, Bella, you _are _delightful!" he said. "And, brothers, can't you just see the potential of her gift? I'm too dreadfully curious about how young Bella will turn out."

"I can show you," Alice offered.

Edward hissed and growled, warning her not to.

"Ah, your gift, little Alice," Aro said thoughtfully. "But that, unfortunately, will help us none. I've already seen from Edward's mind your gift, how it works, and although I'd love to experience such I thing firsthand, it is no good here. I've learnt from Edward's mind how fickle your visions are, just as the mind is, and your visions change with decision. There is no guarantee."

"Then perhaps Caius…," Marcus hinted at.

"Perhaps you are right, Caius," Aro agreed. "Edward will have to make his decision now."

But Edward couldn't. Everyone realized that. My heart shattered in that moment, and warm tears began to stream down my face as I tried my best to quickly wipe them away.

"Bella, I have already asked Edward and Alice, but I have not asked you," Aro said. "How do you feel about us? Would you be interested in joining our little family here?"

Edward hissed. I stared at Aro. Was he joking? Maybe I was understanding wrong; was he asking me if I would like to join their little family for dinner?

"What?" Caius demanded, leaning forward more in his chair.

Aro patiently ignored him this time, awaiting my answer his a hopeful expression.

This was what I had been waiting for. I was being given a choice. I could become a vampire this way. I wasn't too fond of the idea of becoming a Volturi member, but to be a vampire was what I wanted. Edward was going to let me die. Well, I could tell you, spending all my time around people who were never going to die really convinced me that I didn't want to be human anymore.

Maybe it was my fear making my brain fuzzy, or my shattered heart that made me think recklessly, but I wanted this.

However, I just couldn't bring myself to speak a decision out loud. I felt like all of their eyes on me was going to kill me, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I turned and threw myself into Alice, hugging her tightly and crying into her. She embraced me back and soothed me quietly.

"I can't do this, Alice. I can't make a decision like this. I can't—I can't handle this. Please… please help me. I don't…I don't want to lose you."

She stroked my hair. "Bella, I think you should stay here with the Volturi," she advised softly, and Edward growled furiously. "They can keep you safe better than our entire family ever could. You don't have to be a vampire. If you're here with them, they'll be satisfied that you couldn't tell anyone the secret of our existence."

"Though we would love for you to join us," Aro cut in softly. "You have but to just ask and you will be one of us, truly one of us."

Those last words sent a shudder down my spine. And I couldn't believe Alice's words. She was actually telling me to stay with them. Stay here, with these vile vampires of absolute power. Could I do that?

Edward had other thoughts on the matter. "She's not staying with them!"

I snapped then, to everyone's—even my own—surprise. I turned to him in fury, tears running down my face, and I wanted to strangle him if that were possible. "Shut up!" I screamed, and the whole room went silent with shock. "This is all your fault! If you didn't leave me in the first place none of this would be happening! Just shut up because after all this, you have no right to breathe a word to me! And you especially do not get to decide my life for me!"

After that, watching my words sink into him and watching his expression take over one of complete pain, I lost myself. I crumpled to the floor, put my hands in my hair, and screamed in despair. Then I sobbed shamelessly, my hands covering my face.

"Don't touch her, Edward," I heard Alice hiss.

And I heard Caius say, "Well, it would seem that she perhaps _can_ be one of us, she already understands that no second chances are to be given out."

My tears were mostly those of rage after that.

"Bella," Aro cooed. "Sweet darling, give us your choice please. Do you consent to staying with us?"

I stopped crying, sniffling and wiping my face, and I looked at him. I nodded. "I do." My voice was no more than a whisper.

He smiled, outstretching his hand to me. "I am so thrilled to hear that. You will be a beautiful part to our family."

I took his hand and he easily helped me to my feet. Alice bid me her goodbye, promising to write to me, and left, dragging a still in shock Edward out of the room with her. I started crying again, more softly this time, and having no Alice to cry into this time, Aro offered himself to be stained with my pitiful tears. I went into his arms and cried until I had no more tears to shed, letting him comfort me.

"You will be happy here," he said. "At the very least, you will not ever be miserable."

I didn't know if I could believe that, but we would soon see. I couldn't believe what was happening. I couldn't believe what I did. I couldn't believe what I had said to Edward.

I couldn't believe he was gone again.

I did stop crying, and Jane was suddenly beside me to offer me a handkerchief. I wiped my face as best I could with it, but I could only imagine how horrible I looked.

"You smell…strange," Aro commented, not meant to be insulting. "Awful, actually. What is that?"

I was confused. Uh…body odor? That was my best guess, and that would be so dreadfully embarrassing.

"No human smell," he said though.

Jacob, I thought. Only thing that could make me smell like that. I recalled Alice commenting on my awful smell and she understood when I revealed Jacob's secret to her.

Aro didn't miss my little light bulb moment. "What is it?"

"Werewolf," I mutter softly, hating to admit it.

Caius uncrossed his legs and sat forward intently. "She converses with werewolves, as well?" he demanded angrily.

"No, no, this mustn't be so," Aro said. "Bella, this person, he changes by the light of the full moon?"

I shook my head. "No. He can change whenever he wants."

"Not Children of the Moon, brother," he said to Caius.

I felt sick as I understood. There were real werewolves, ones that changed every full moon. Where there fairies too? Was Tinker Bell real? Hell, that should make Peter Pan real too. Next the world is going to be overrun by flying pink elephants.

"Aro, ones that can turn into wolves when desired," Caius hissed. "This is a problem. Don't you think we must eliminate this supernatural breed?"

"No, please, don't," I begged with them. "Jacob's my friend. They all are. And they keep their existence secret like you do. They don't tell any more people than you do. And their life is dedicated to protecting the lives of humans."

"From what?" Caius asked caustically. "Politicians?"

"From…vampires," I answered.

Caius stood up in one fluid motion that a barely saw, only grace stood out eagerly in the movement. "Aro, she knows not only of us but she is sympathetic for our enemies. She cannot be trusted."

"What is she going to do, Caius?" Aro demanded back, losing his patience with him it would seem. "She's a human. Will she rise against us? Will she put a dagger in your back when it is turned? Will she lead a rebellion against our kind? Will she bring the Children of the Moon here to finish what the begun so long ago?"

Caius's lips pulled over his teeth for a moment in a terrifying warning, but no growl came from him. As cruel as his every word sounded, he was controlled in his anger.

"Bella, you look like you need rest," Aro said, his voice soft again as he spoke to me. "We should have our finest room for you. Caius will show you to it."

"Gianna can show her to it," Caius said, looking away arrogantly.

"Gianna has work to do, and you are doing nothing, which makes you the more suitable choice for showing our young novice to her room."

Caius, very upset, ghostly closer, his eyes burning into mine. "Come. Follow me, and try to keep up."

I left the room, trailing behind Caius. He didn't run, but he moved swiftly. It was hard for me to keep up his pace, and was nearly running myself. He didn't spare me a glance, so I took no shame in inspecting him up and down. He was taller than he looked from across the room.

Then he stopped suddenly, and I nearly went past him. Then I nearly fell on my face, tripping over his stupid black cloak. He caught my upper arm and harshly pulled me to my balance, and I stepped away from him, discreetly rubbing my arm where he grabbed. Something tells me he grabbed me very hard on purpose, but at least me didn't let me fall.

"This is your room," he said, gesturing to the doors. "I wouldn't get to comfortable."

He threw the doors open, and gestured for me to go inside. It was beautiful. An absolute dream inside. Very renaissance royal style. And the bed was _huge_, as an understatement.

Caius began to leave, I stopped him by saying, "Aren't you going to tuck me in?"

He froze.

"Give me a kiss goodnight?" I continued to mock. "Read me a bedtime story?"

He was in front of me so fast that I didn't see it until his face was an inch from mine. I jumped back, but he only advanced on me, mirroring my motions every time I stepped away. He spoke quickly, harshly, his voice like a whip.

"Little girl, it would be in your best interest not to taunt me. Know not to rub salt in the wound. Every step you take, you walk farther and farther onto thin ice and it will always be that way as I see it. Don't break the ice. If you fall in, you're mine. You should have never survived past your first encounter with that Cullen boy, and I know very well since then you have been doing nothing but pushing your luck. That shall not work with me here."

He pushed me back so far that I was against the bed, then forced to sit on the edge of it.

"And clean yourself up; you smell like a mutt."

"I supposed you wouldn't want to cuddle then," I said disappointedly. "But do I still get a story?"

If looks could kill…his dark eyes would have my heart stop in a glance. I was afraid for a moment at what he may do, but he put his shockingly cold hand against my head and pushed me back onto the bed. When I scrambled back up, he was gone and the doors slammed shut on their own.

I cracked a smile and crawled into the bed, falling asleep about a minute after my head hit the pillow.

**Thanks for reading! Please review! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing! you're so kind.  
ENJOY!**

I nearly screamed when I woke up. It was my own fault; I shot right up in the bed and almost had a heart attack as I wondered where the hell I was. I quickly remembered everything, yawned and stretched and wiped my eyes, and jump out of the bed.

Even in my sleep I knew what the first thing I was going to do was when I woke up, and that was too go right in the shower. I did that. I did also take my sweet time, enjoying every moment, because I was truly memorized by every little thing in that humongous bathroom. It really was fit for a king. And there were so many good smells to choose from…. Hopefully, when I came out, I wouldn't smell like dog.

I dried myself with a very fluffy pink towel and wrung out my damp hair. After brushing my teeth, I brushed through my hair and found a hairdryer. I swear, it had everything. I found it very odd, since I didn't really think they had all these humans here. So why, then, would they have all these human things? Just in case?

Now, that was a creepy thought.

I shook these thoughts off my mind as I went back into the bedroom, clad in nothing but a towel, and padded quickly across the floor to the only other set of double doors. I pulled them open eagerly and nearly fell to the floor. This was no closet, this was a mini-mall.

"Do you like it?"

"GAH!" I exclaimed, jumping and then holding onto the frame of the door for support.

As my heartbeat slowed and I controlled my breathing, I looked at little Jane who had suddenly appeared at my side. I was even more startled at first that she had cracked a smile at my fright, startled because the smile didn't look sadistic as it usually was, it was genuine. Then I remembered she asked me a question.

"Yes, I love it," I said sincerely. "I love everything, the room, the bathroom, the closet…. It's all so beautiful."

"It is, isn't it. Perhaps that's why none of us are so fond of leaving this place. It is magical."

I nodded. "That's a good word for it," I agreed.

"Gianna helped me last night. We picked out clothes for you while you were sleeping. After you're done dressing, I'll bring you breakfast."

I eyed her skeptically, suspicious of how nice she was being, since just yesterday she was trying to torture me with her mind. "Thank you, Jane. I appreciate it."

She nodded and turned, beginning to walk away. I caught her arm quickly, telling her to wait.

"What's after breakfast?" I wondered. "I mean, what am I supposed to do?"

She smiled. "You can do anything you want. You may stay here all day if you wish, or else you have the entire castle to explore. You should get to know the ways. To a human, these corridors can seem endless. If you're going to be walking them frequently, especially by yourself, we can't have you getting lost. Be very careful though, there are many secret passages you can get caught in."

"Thanks," I said again.

She left me, and I immediately starting looking through the closet for something to put on. To my dismay, there were only dresses. Some were more casual, some for formal, some gowns. A typical Bella outfit was jeans and a sweatshirt with a pair of boots, nothing more or less. Now, throw me in a closet filled with only the finest silk and most sparkly accessories, I was as lost as my father trying to give me advice on dating.

I chose a dark blue-gray satin dress that stopped above my knees, with a cinched waist and no sleeves, just straps that went around my neck. It was pretty, but I still felt like I was going to a wedding. I put on a pair of matching flats with it. I clipped my hair back into a half-up hairstyle because I thought it went more with the formal dress.

Then I started my exploring of the Volturi castle. I started by just sauntering down whatever corridor I turned into. Jane was right though, the corridors seemed endless. Some of them could go for so long without having a single room down them, and then the hall would be filled with huge double-doors embroidered in gold and complex design.

I was about thirty minutes into my exploration when I suddenly heard a loud bang from inside the pair of doors I was passing. I heard a muffled oath, and couldn't help but wonder what was going on. These doors were bigger than the other ones, and had **C V **written on them. I pressed my ear against the door, not hearing much. Finally, I knocked meekly.

"Enter."

I felt my face pale as I heard the voice from the inside.

_C V= Caius Volturi_

And I had just unknowingly knocked on his door. What was even worse than that, I just stood there. I had no clue what I was supposed to do. Surely he wouldn't want to see me, he would be upset I had bothered him, but I couldn't just walked away. I debated with myself for thirty seconds, getting nowhere, and then one of the doors opened to me.

Caius stood there, mean looking as he scowled at me, darkened in his black attire and deep purple renaissance cloak. Only, his clothes were stained with paint, his platinum hair disheveled, and when he went to brush it back he wiped a long streak of gold across his face. I don't think he noticed.

"Well," he sniffed, "your look has much improved from yesterday, and you smell something of human now. Do you have anything to say? Or will you just keep standing there gazing like a fool?"

"Ummm…is everything okay?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Outstanding," he said coldly, turning around in a flurry and going back into the room, his cloak floating gracefully behind him. "Now won't you run along and bother someone else? I'm sure Aro is somewhere and would be delighted to have your company, unlike those who do not want it."

His kind way of telling me to leave, yet I dared to walk further on thin ice—to use his words from last night—and enter into his room without his permission. He only gave me an annoyed glance before he picked up a paintbrush and wiped it on his cloak before dabbing it in a different color of paint amongst the many colors on a piece of cardboard that laid on a little desk. I examined what he was working on.

I immediately recognized the one he was standing in front of a picture of the Hall of Mirrors in the castle of Versailles in France. It was a perfect likeness of it even though he was still working on it. The canvas that stood right next to that was half-done, but I realized it as the Palazzo Dei Priori with the clock tower, the one I stopped Edward under from exposing himself to a crowd of humans.

I then looked around his room. It was amazing. And all the rooms I've seen in the Volturi castle were stunning, as I've said, but his room was amazing because there were paintings everywhere. The high ceiling looked exactly like the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo, and I could have laid on the marble floor and gawked at it all day for all its beauty and how long it would have taken to examine every detail of it. The wall straight across from the doors was painted all the way across with Leonardo da Vinci's painting of the Last Supper, and above that was a collection of Botticelli angels. I turned around and saw that something was painted on the grand doors as well, taking up the space across both of them. I went to the doors quickly and shut the other one so the picture came together across both doors. I stared at the form of Jesus, crucified on the cross. I held my hand up and ran it gently across the door, feeling the texture of the paint.

It was just too unbelievable.

"Did you paint all of these?" I asked in awe.

"Yes. Everything in this room," he answered.

"I think I love this one the most," I mused, taking in every detail about it. I just couldn't believe it all. Caius was a true artist, he took the works of some of the most famous artist and painted them on his own bedroom walls, every color and detail exact to the original.

He was suddenly stand next to me. "Yes, that is _Trinity_ by—"

"By Masaccio."

He looked at me sharply. I smiled innocently and shrugged.

"This entire castle is centered around the Italian Renaissance. I like art, but generally I like the Renaissance painters. Come on, you have to give me some credit here. I'm the vampire girl, I need to be classically trained just to be in the very regal presence of such a stylish creature."

He just stared at me, then glanced down to clean his paintbrush again.

"Wow, you really don't smile at anything, do you?"

"Not my brand of humor."

I shrugged. "Okay then…." I gazed back at the painting. "It really is very beautiful. And it looks perfect like the original. It looks so real. And the colors…they're absolutely exact. It must have taken so long just to mix the colors right."

"I have time."

I snorted. "Yeah…guess you do."

"I didn't expect you to know what the painting was," he said after a while.

"Why's that?" I wondered, turning to examine the face of Christ in the Last Supper on the opposite wall.

"It's not something people, much less adolescence, usually know about."

It was apparent his _least _favorite type of people were teenagers. But I smiled at this, because as I thought about this, I remembered a few good things that held hope for a normal life.

"My mother use to tell me I was born middle-aged," I reminisced. "I'm more like my father. My mother was completely childlike, whimsical, hare-brained…."

"From the way you acted last night, you're completely childlike."

He had found one of the few things I was sensitive about: age. For obvious reasons I shouldn't have to explain….

"I'm not a child!" I said angrily, glaring up at him, but at the same time I very childishly threw my hands down to my sides where they hands balled into fists.

He ghosted a step closer, putting a hand under my chin and tipping my head back more. His dark eyes bore into mine like black crystals, so deep but concealed. My anger vanished at once, and I only felt his feathery but firm touch. His skin was a little different from Aro's. His skin was hard but soft like silk. I thought of a stone statue wearing silk, that's what it felt like.

"Whatever age," he said in a steely whisper, "you had better not _ever_ use that tone with me."

"I don't have a tone," I murmured.

"You cheeky little girl," he hissed, his cool breath blowing into my face. "Don't make me do something we'll both regret. Get out."

He released my face, turning it to the side so roughly that I almost fell backwards. I regained my balance and glared at him, muttering, "Fine," before I left with as much dignity as I could muster. And that was a hard thing to do.

The door shut behind me as soon as I turned my back on it.

I stood there for a moment. Part of me wanted to storm right back inside and give him a piece of my mind, the other part widened its eyes at that idea and said _Are you fucking crazy? _Maybe I was, but there was nothing better to do.

Nothing better to do? C'mon Bella, this is a castle.

I shrugged to myself and started walking down the hall, slowly, taking my time to admire the architecture. I planned to explore the castle, like Jane suggested. However, I quickly found myself wishing Jane was with me at the moment. I was lost. I wasn't panicking at that, at least. Rather, I was pretty excited to be lost in such a place, suddenly tasked with needing to escape, and maybe I would stumble my way into one of those secrete passages. A real adventure!

I rolled my eyes. _Jesus, I really need to get out more_.

Nearly an hour past. I still had no clue where I was. I didn't see a lot of doors, but didn't dare enter any. I'm thankful that the demonic noises my stomach was making didn't yet attract any vampire's attention. When was the last time I had ate?

I sighed and stopped in the middle of a hallway intersection. Which way, which way? If only the stone walls could talk, I'd ask them for some freaking directions. I spun to face each hall, ending up getting dizzy. As the halls whirled around me I listened hard. It was so silent. Even though the smallest of sounds reverberated down the length of the halls and was amplified five times what it was, it was so silent. The only thing I heard was the crackling of the fire that lit some of the halls. Those halls, however, I avoided. I kept to the white paths with the lower arches and many skylights and stained-glass windows. The halls with the fire were dark, longer, higher arches, no windows. Scary.

I would always keep to the light.

I stood still. Someone stood in front of me, crimson eyes boring into mine. I screamed in surprise and stumbled back, and I fell because I was already dizzy. I groaned and looked up at the vampire. I realized then that I would have to start getting more used to that quiet, swift approach of vampires.

There was a frightening thought. Vampire footsteps were so light that I couldn't hear them. If I had my back turned, there was no way to know one was behind me. They could pop up behind me whenever they pleased. They could catch me totally off guard and capture me from behind.

I recognized Felix. A huge vampire, tall and well-built. Dark hair and bright red eyes. Eyes as if he had just fed. He was looking down at me ponderingly.

I stared back. And gulped. And, since it was apparent he wasn't going to offer me help, I got back to my feet. I carefully backed away a few steps.

He smiled for half a second. I didn't miss the wicked nature of it.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, tone slightly harsh.

I sputtered. I didn't know. What _was _I doing here? Where was here specifically? I'm lost. No one around. Was I not allowed to be here? _Hungry._

He looked at me like he was talking to a special person. "What are you doing here?"

I let out my breath in a rush and reigned in a calming one. "I was looking for Jane, or something to do. Whichever came first. I'm a little lost. Where am I anyway?"

He appraised me. For a moment I wondered if I even said anything out loud, but finally he spoke.

"You're in the east wing. From the direction you were going, you're heading towards the towers."

"Towers?" I repeated. "Cool. Do you keep princesses locked up in there or something?" I smiled at my own joke, but he didn't smile. Alright, I know it was a lame joke, but I was nervous. He could have faked a laugh. I cleared my throat. "Uh…so, where's Jane?"

"She is with Alec , taking care of an issue of Master Aro's, I believe. If I see her, I shall let her know you requested her."

"Oh. Well, I'm not really _requesting _her. I was just…wondering. Like, I wonder where a _human _can get some food around here…." I hinted.

Now he laughs. Figures it would be at the expense of my own discomfort.

"There are two kitchens in the castle," he informed me. "The one closest you now is down that way"—he inclined his head towards the hall to my right—"and I believe someone will be in there. There's a dining room next to it. Just continue this hall, straight past three turns and left on the fourth turn."

I nodded, labeling the map I had mentally created. If only I knew how far away from my own room I was. Ah well….

Felix took my concentration for confusion. "Would you like me to show you?"

I shook my head quickly, but he stepped closer to me. I gave him an uninvited look. "No, that's okay, I can find it myself. Besides, it must be out of your way."

He smiled, offering me his arm to take. "I assure you, it isn't. Because it seems that Jane abandoned you, I can find time to tour."

I waved my hand. "Not necessary. You're probably busy."

"Hardly."

_Holy crow! What does it take for a guy to get a clue?_

"What are _you _doing here anyway?" I asked warily.

"Passing through," he answered vaguely. "I was out for the night, I just came in."

He leaned in to me. I tensed and leaned back, raising an eyebrow. "Came in from where?" My voice was a whisper.

The back of his knuckles brushed over my cheek and pushed my hair back, exposing that side of my neck to the chill of his grin. He didn't look at me, his eyes were glued to the skin there. "Why, from hunting, of course. Everyone fed yesterday. You are truly the sweetest human that has ever walked into our castle. You had the weak ones in a frenzy and the old ones parched with thirst. Who knows what would have happened if we did not go out and feed to get our minds off you." His icicle fingers trailed down my neck.

I felt like I was going to throw up. Or faint. He had to stop touching me.

"I have to go," I said. "I'll be fine on my own. Thanks for your help."

His other hand stopped me form moving away when caressed my bare arm. A swallowed a whine. I quickly ducked under his arm, crossing my own arms over my chest as I hurried away.

I didn't hear him coming after me. Or…I didn't hear it as he started coming after me.

I risked a glance back. He was still standing there, half turned, eyes narrowed, smiling at me.

I faced forward again and subtly increased my pace.

I had lost my appetite.

**Lol. Felix is always the creeper. But he plays the character good, so I don't care. He's always charismatic for those Felix lovers, if there are any reading this.**

PLEASE REVIEW! thanks so much for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

I hardly slept that next night. I tossed and turned for most of it before settling on pulling the covers over my head and hoping that maybe I would roll around so much that I would tangle myself up and asphyxiate to death.

That didn't happen.

Not long after that poor half-hearted suicide attempt ensued did Jane come into my room to wake me up.

I put on a black dress—short with spaghetti straps—and accessorized with a matching headband. Jane told me that she and Gianna had gone out the night before again to pick up some more stuff for me. The closet was certainly big enough to fit it all, and I was otherwise too tired to object. I even nodded my head when she had insisted that she put some eye makeup on me to cover up the sleepless look.

She told me that Gianna had finished her breakfast already but that I could go eat, and I asked if she could walk with me there.

"Didn't you find it yesterday?" she asked.

I shook my head, looking away as I gulped. "Um…uh…no."

She raised an eyebrow. "You didn't find the kitchen? _Or _the dining hall?" I didn't respond. "You didn't eat a_nything _yesterday?"

I shrugged, smiling guiltily.

She rolled her eyes, irritated. "Bella, you idiot. Are you trying to starve yourself?"

"No, no, you see... I was on my way there, but I...ran into a trouble."

She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back against the door. "You got lost?"

"Well...yeah, that too. But I ran into Felix."

She narrowed her eyes. "Felix? And just why, Bella, is he a problem?"

I shrugged again. "I don't know. He makes me nervous. He gives a vibe..." I stared at her, and finally sighed. "Never mind. Just forget it."

"Don't lie to me, Bella," she said, surprising me with this. "There's more, isn't there? Did he do something?"

"Oh, nothing at all," I said. "In fact, he gave me the nicest compliments. I look tasty, I smell delicious... That kind of stuff, you know, the usual pick-up lines. 'What big teeth you have,' I replied. 'All the better to eat you with,' he said..."

Jane shook her head. "Maybe I should have a nice"—she grinned widely—"_talk _with him."

I waved a hand apathetically. "Whatever you must."

"Hm." She pushed the doors open and stepped into the hall, inclining her head. "Why don't I show you to the dining hall then? Come."

I complied gratefully. My mental map resurfaced as I tried to draw the route to the dining hall on it. I'd make it the second thing I was sure of, because the first was how to get to Caius's bedroom. Part of what I had been doing instead of sleeping was remembering and memorizing the halls I had taken to get to his room. And maybe later—if I was feeling particularly brazen—I would pop in on him.

But—_oh_—he might not be there.

"Jane?" I asked timidly. "Do you know...? I mean... How does Caius like to...usually spend his time? If you happen to know. I was just curious."

A smile played on her lips. "Have we developed a bit of a fascination for our Master Caius?"

I felt my face heating rapidly. "Um, _no_! Like..._hell. No. _He's a jerk."

She gasped, and then laughed softly, trying to muffle it with her hand. "And perpetually ill-tempered, you would do well to remember. If he heard us now..."

"You scared?" I teased.

Her smile dropped. "Well..."

My humor dissipated as well. She _was _afraid though. "Oh."

She cleared her throat. "Master Caius keeps mostly to himself, as he's in the habit of deep musings. He stays in his room to paint or play his violin. When he finishes either a painting or composition, he likes to show it to everyone. When you find him in the west garden, that it the time to _not _bother him."

"Why?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I don't know," she admitted. "Something about that garden—which only he ever visits anyway, besides the gardeners—calms his irritability. Or at least, he thinks it does. It does when no one bothers him, but his mood can shift...rather quickly."

A bipolar vampire. Ha ha. Great. But I'd already figured as much about him.

When reached the dining hall at last. It really wasn't that far, but it was easy to get lost because it took a lot of turns. I was sure I could manage it on my own though, considering the walk was just from my room.

The room was huge, with a long table dividing the room, fancy crystal chandeliers and a fireplace at one end. One the wall across the entrance was a set of three doors, and a small door to the left. Black curtains were drawn back to let the light in through giant windows; the floor black and white marble and polished to a shine.

There was a woman sitting at the end of the table, eating by herself. She looked like she was in her late twenties, raven's hair in wild curls, eyes round and shining an electric blue. Her skin was as pale as a vampire's.

"Is that Gianna?" I whispered to Jane a we approached the table.

She shook her head. "It looks like Gianna already left."

The woman at the table rose to greet us. She smiled at Jane—she had a beautiful, friendly smile—and bowed her head briefly. Then she smiled at me, and mouthed my name.

"Yes, this is Bella," Jane said. "And Bella, this is Sophie. She's the head cook. And she's mute."

I nodded, and returned Sophie's smile. "It's nice to meet you."

She tilted her head, and gestured to the seat beside her. In front of that place was a plate of steaming waffles, whipped cream on top and strawberries on the side. There was also a glass of orange juice and a glass of milk. She looked at it, frowned, and started making signs with her hands to Jane.

"She wants to apologize to you, Bella," Jane explained. "She cooked breakfast but didn't know what you liked. She guessed this was a good enough breakfast."

I laughed once as I looked back at the waffles, and I hoped I wasn't drooling. "Don't even worry about it," I assured. "That...looks..._so _good."

Sophie laughed soundlessly. Jane left us as I joined Sophie for breakfast. Though I felt she was a very comfortable person to be around, the silence I found a little unsettling. I often caught her stealing glances of me, while she busted me doing the same to her. The only thing I did was tell her how good her cooking was. She grinned, touched her fingers to her lips, and lowered her hand. That was as far as conversation went.

* * *

_Don't _even _tell me I'm lost again._

I sighed.

_ Maybe I should have waited for Jane._

I looked down the hall to my left, and then the one to the right. They looked virtually the same. I deliberated briefly, and chose the right. I decided I wasn't exactly lost, because I didn't know where i was going to begin with. I still didn't. Again, I found myself just wandering.

_Aw, jeez, please don't let me run into another Volturi creep._

I figured, even if I did, it would be better this time. This time I wasn't hungry. _Damn, those waffles were good. _I requested them for the next morning, and Sophie saluted me, happy to oblige.

Suddenly, I came to a set of large doors. They were black, and arched, with huge knockers—_heh heh_—and fake cracks running over the surface of them.

_Well_, I thought, _this can either be very promising or something that will make me wish I stayed in bed._

Feeling adventurous—or feigning it, at least—a gave the left door a small push. It swung open without much effort. I widened the crack enough for me to slip through, closed it behind me, and looked around.

And _wow_.

It was a library.

The shelves were huge, preventing me from seeing the far walls of the room, giving the illusion that the rows of books were endless. As I sauntered further into the room, I gaze up to see six more floors of balconies all filled with books above. I had never seen so many books in her life, and I couldn't believe it. To imagine how old they must have been, how many years of collecting... If I died right there, right then, I would have been just fine.

It was dimly lit, a few lights on the walls, but at the end of the room was a fireplace. It was a little sitting area. As I neared it, I realized someone else was already there. A tall figure, broad-shouldered, back facing me, long dark hair spilling down a black cloak. I had a guess at who it was, but stayed silent because I wasn't completely sure. I tried to round him as quietly as I could.

"Good morning, Bella," the figure greeted me with a whispery voice. He turned his face slightly, eyes catching mine, unnerving me as they glittered with the firelight.

"Good morning, Marcus," I said. My voice was meek. I cleared my throat, my fingers twining around each other. "Um...I hope I'm not bothering you. I was wondering what was in here..."

He moved like a ghost, incredibly smooth and graceful, stepping to the side and dropping himself into one of the leather chairs in a single, fluid motion. A book rested in his lap. "Not at all, _carina bambina_. I was only reading. You are more than welcome here."

I nervously sat in the chair closest to him, angled towards him. "This is amazing," I said. "I can't believe how many books... What are you reading?"

"Il castello dei destini incrociati," he said. "The Castle of Crossed Destinies. It is written in Italian, by Italo Calvino."

"Oh," was all I said.

"It's very good," he commented. "If you're interested, I'm sure an English copy can be found. Do you like, very much, to read?"

"Oh yes!" I said. "I love reading. I'd rather go to the library than to a party, any day."

His eyebrows raised slightly, almost impressed. "I don't imagine you very like the old writers? That your favor lies with the contemporary?" A hint of smile touched his lips. "You see, this stuff was once contemporary to me."

I gave him a sly smile. "On the contrary, I love old writings. Do you... I mean, you probably know Shakespeare." I laughed. "Jeez, you probably knew him personally."

"I never had the honor of meeting him. I do like his writings."

"'O here will I set up my everlasting rest'," I recited, "'And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars from this world-wearied flesh. Eyes, look your last. Arms, take your last embrace.' I really love _Romeo and Juliet_."

He raised his chin a bit, more impressed. "Very good. And well spoken. _Romeo and Juliet _is a well tragedy, but I'm particular of _The Tempest _myself."

I frowned a little. I hadn't read that one. I wanted to, but didn't get around to it. I also realized maybe I was wrong about Marcus being a simple bore.

"'We are such stuff as dreams are made on'," he said. "My favorite line. It means to say that life is nothing but a dream; a dream dreamed by a divine mind greater than all of us. That would be nice to think."

"Do you have that in the library?"

"Of course we do," he said. "Look around. We have whatever you can imagine."

I nodded. "You know, Shakespeare is very good, but he's not my favorite. My favorite happens to be Yeats. I adore his folklore. And the poetry... 'Come away, O human child/ To the waters and the wild/ With a faery, hand in hand/ For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand."

"_È bellissima_," he murmured.

"It _is _beautiful." I sighed wistfully. "And beautiful to think that you can be suddenly whisked away into a fantasy world, a thousand times better than this one, where there's no sorrow." I thought about the poem for a minute, and then laughed bitterly. "I guess it can kind of work in my position, huh? 'Come away, O human child/ With a vampire, hand in hand...'"

Marcus was silent for a minute. I looked down, playing with the hem of my dress, and I could feel him studying me.

"Are you so unhappy?" he asked me.

I shrugged. "Aro said I would be happy here... Are you happy?"

"Sometimes I am not," he admitted.

"How long have you been here?" I wondered.

"The Volturi owned this castle since the Renaissance years, hence its architecture. We used to live in Romania. However, I have been with Aro and Caius longer. More than three thousand years now."

"Oh, wow," I said. "How did you meet each other?"

His eyes darted away briefly. "Though the past haunts me so, I tend to leave the past in the past. I do not like bringing anything up."

"Huh. Seems the same with all you vampires. Do you all have something so tragic?"

"Most of us. And do not ask why that is, for I don't really know. Perhaps because most of us aren't given that choice of whether we want this or not, or some do not know what they ask for when they asked to be changed, and they all grow to hate their...existence."

I nodded, understanding. "Is it the same with Aro and Caius?"

"That is not my place to say. If you're interested in their stories, you may ask them. I'll not tell you though. But, from the way they seem to you know, can you guess?"

I grinned. "Yeah. Aro seems like he's the luckiest guy in the world, everything going for him. And Caius is...well...he's brooding and nasty. I'm guessing he had the bumpy ride, while Aro took the expressway armed with a fully-working GPS."

"I'm not exactly sure what you just said, but it seems correct to me."

I laughed.

Just then, the library doors were thrown open, and both Marcus and I looked over to see Aro stride into the room. He was smiling, holding out his hand invitingly.

"We're having a party!" he announced.

"What?" I asked, puzzled.

Marcus's expression stayed...well, expressionless. "A party, Aro? Whatever for?"

"Whatever for?" he repeated, undaunted from his brother's lack of enthusiasm at the idea. "Why, to celebrate Bella, of course. It's a perfect way to show off our new addition to our family here."

"Show off?" The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them, a little heated.

"Oh, I didn't mean any offense, Bella," Aro assured. "You're family, yes, and I'm aware one usually shows off _possessions_... However, you _are _something to show off. A young girl—beautiful, witty, oh, so intelligent—with so much potential, who will make a wonderful vampire. You are ideal. And what better way for you to flaunt yourself than with a party?" He took me by the hand to help me stand, yanked me to him, and started to waltz around with me. "Fine music and food, laughter, games, dancing... _Romance _and _mystery_."

I broke away when he twirled me under his arm. "Um... Aro...I don't really do parties. I never dance. And I _hate _being the center of attention...so I can't..._flaunt _myself."

He gave me a patient smile. "You will humor me, won't you? It will be magnificent! I already have staff members and the guard alike setting up for it?"

"When will it be?" I asked.

"Tomorrow!" Aro said excitedly. "Isn't that wonderful? I've invited the whole town already, surely many will show up. Even tourists."

"Tomorrow?" I echoed. "Oh."

"Don't you worry, Bella. You'll love it, I promise! An enchanting masquerade ball."

* * *

**I'm looking so forward to writing that part 3 (heart). I LOVE masquerades. And I think you'll like this one too.**

**CAIUS/BELLA story! It's called "The Snow King" and i'm co-writing it with Bella MacLeod. You can find it on her profile or my favs list. Really good story; she's a great writer. Pleas check it out.**

**The Yeats poem Bella recites is "The Stolen Child". OMG i LOVE that poem. **

**PLEASE REVIEW! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! (and waiting)**


	4. Chapter 4

"Jane," I groaned. "Seriously, are you done yet?" It was worse than Alice dressing me up. Then, thinking of Alice, I saddened a little. I did miss the little pixie.

"No, Bella," Jane barked in reply, forcefully stilling me by my shoulders. "_Seriously_, stay still. I'd be a lot quicker if you stopped fighting me."

"I can't help it," I said, slumping forward in defeat. "I've been sitting here for hours. Ow!"

Jane gave an unnecessarily hard yank on the bit of my hair she was working with. "It's hardly been an hour, in total, that I've been working on you. Stop being so damned difficult. Don't you want to look nice for the ball?"

"I don't wanna go," I grumbled childishly.

"You have to," she said. "Master Aro put it together just for you, so _don't_ disappoint him. The ballroom is already full with guests, and Aro's waiting on you. I don't want you sulking all night; you better act like you're enjoying it."

I shrugged noncommittally, but I made no more protests as Jane continued to prepare me for the party. She finished my hair and quickly went on to the makeup. I feared my appearance in the mirror, which I had yet to see.

In case I hadn't made it clear enough, I did _not _want to go to the party. I would rather stay in my room for the rest of the night, which was what I had been doing for the whole day. Marcus found me an English copy of The Castle of Crossed Destinies. As he promised, it was very good. I was more than halfway done with it already, and ready for an in-depth discussion with Marcus. No doubt he would be pleased. I liked Marcus.

Aro was sweet too, but he wasn't on my good side this night. Really, with the party? I had a feeling he was taking advantage of my cause for celebration. Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but, why did _I _have to go? I thought, _There probably won't be anyone at that party as miserable as me. _

Then, one person came to mind.

Caius.

He _did _seem like the person who would rather lock himself in his room all night too. As Jane said, he liked solitude. He must be wanting to paint something or to play his violin rather than being forced to attend a party for me. _Great_, I thought. _Another reason for him to hate me_.

"There," Jane said, straightening up and suddenly making me stand with her. "You're all done. Come look."

She led me into the bathroom, where the full-length mirror was. I almost gasped. I was so _beautiful_.

The silk gown I wore was midnight blue, offsetting my pale skin. It was strapless, shoulder-baring, the skirt bunched in some places. My high-heeled shoes matched. My curly hair was elegantly done half-up, half-down with ribbons and glittering jewels. My make-up was light; Jane had done a smokey eye design on my eyes, a little mascara, and dark lipstick. My beauty almost matched that of a vampire's.

"It'll do," Jane said airily.

I huffed and soured.

Jane swatted my butt, making me jump and yelp with surprise. "Stand up straight, Bella!" she barked. "You're the hostess tonight, so act a little dignified."

I pouted and rubbed my backside in a rather undignified manner. "Ow, Jane."

She rolled her eyes. "Let's go."

I reluctantly followed her out of the room and down the hall. She looked beautiful too, much less like a little boy that I momentarily mistook her as at first. Her gown was dark red, the color of her eyes if she took out the hazel contacts she was concealing them with. Her hair was gracefully curled, and I thought it made her childish face look more like a porcelain doll.

"Here," Jane said, as we stopped outside of the ballroom door, "let me put your mask on."

I hadn't even noticed she was carrying them; I was too preoccupied with remembering how to breathe. The nails on my right hand were digging painfully into the palm of my left. I turned to her and silently allowed her to fix my mask to my face. It was intricate black lace, covering half of my face. Jane swiftly slipped her own on; a simple gold mask, trimmed in red around the eyes.

"Ready?"

I bit my lip and shook my head.

She smiled reassuringly. "It'll be fun. Go have fun. I'll try to stay close."

So, at last, we entered the ballroom.

The room was magnificent, huge, booming with life, laughter and chatter. There must have been at least 300 people, and even with the masks, it was easy to pick out all the vampires. And there were many. They dressed much more elegantly, and I was willing to bet all they did was dug in their closest and pulled out their high school clothes. _What, this old thing? I bought it in the sixteenth century. _Though even the human partiers had wonderful costumes. A lot of the people were waltzing around the marble floor, while an entire orchestra provided music. There were servants going around with trays of champagne, and harlequins performing acrobatics around fire jugglers. There were even children running around, chasing each other, and trying to juggle with the crystal balls the jugglers were lending to them.

As much as I hated to think it, it looked like a lot more fun than I thought it would be. The Volturi really knew how to throw a party.

Despite her promise, Jane hardly made an effort to stay close to me. Alec came over to greet us, and then a few more vampires who scrutinized me but did not speak to me, and it all happened few fast. They disappeared and swept Jane along with them, completely out of my sight.

Luckily, I was able to find Aro, and by his laughter. I confirmed it was him by his raven's hair. His half-mask was attached to a stick, so he could chose to hold it to his face or not. It was silver, and as reflective as a mirror. On his left was a stunning woman, tall with light brown

hair flowing down to her waist, dressed in white with a headband and mask of flowers and vines. So otherworldly. I had to stop myself from gaping at her as I approached Aro and the group of humans he was entertaining.

"Ah! Isabella!" he cried in delight, shoving his glass of champagne off on one of the other men as he darted forward to take my hand. The way he paused, though very briefly, made me uncomfortable, because I suspected he was trying to read my thoughts again. "Finally, you've joined us! And this is my wife, Sulpicia." He gestured to the brown-haired woman. "She's been wanting to meet you."

"Hello," I said shyly.

She smiled, but I wasn't sure what kind of smile it was. Her eyes, even clouded with colored contacts, were piercing. "Hello, Isabella. The newest member of our family." She paused, raised her chin as she examined me. "Welcome."

I let out my breath in relief. "Thank you."

Aro laughed joyously.

For the first time, I took notice of the vampire on Aro's right. He was wearing a full-face mask, designed with gold on the top half, white on the bottom half, with gold painted lips. He wore black robes and a black three-point hat. I studied the dark brown curls of the tall figure for a moment.

"Marcus?" I guessed hesitantly.

"Welcome to the party, Isabella," came a soft voice from behind motionless lips.

I beamed. "Thanks, Marcus."

"Bella," Aro called my attention back to him, and I realized he was still holding my hand, in both of his now. He smirked. "I trust you've saved your first dance for me, because I have yet to dance as well."

I _really _didn't want to dance. But how was I really going to say no? I felt, again, like Aro was giving me no choice in the matter, but at the same time I felt a bit of adoration towards him and couldn't find it in me to turn him down should he be disappointed I did.

The dance wasn't so bad. At first. I didn't step on his feet, which was a great feat for me, especially because I was in high heels. Actually, I didn't so much as trip. I know that was because of expert leading though, Aro probably _invented _the dance. The steps were simple, easy to follow, and it was fun. Aro lifted me into the air once on a turn. I laughed, and he laughed at my pleasure. Then we began switching partners. I danced with two humans and a vampire. My fourth switch hade me nearly stop in my tracks.

Caius.

There was no mistaking that shock of snow white hair. His eyes were black behind his mask. His mask covered half his face, trimmed in black and gold, the color of old parchment with musical scales painted across them. Very unique.

"Human," he addressed me, a familiar sneer on his lips.

_Well, fuck you too, _I thought. I was beginning to have a good time, and his bad mood was the last thing I needed.

"How's the Palace of Versailles?"

"Finished," he answered. "I've already painted several things since then."

"Of what?" I asked, genuinely interested.

He spun me under his arm as he stepped aside, faster and more roughly than necessary. "Nothing of consequence."

I glared at him and attempted to spin back around and into his arms, but I tripped and fell against his chest. His arms closed around my waist, and the both of us froze. I waited for him to push me away, but he didn't. And I realized that I really didn't want him to. The blush burning my face made it too uncomfortable for me to be there though, and I straightened up, pushing against him because he didn't loosen his hold at first.

"You're very graceful, human," he said. But his jab had no venom in it.

"Hmph," was my brilliant reply.

"Thank gods you don't smell like a dog any longer."

I scowled. "Look. I know you hate me and everything, but I don't want to be here anymore than you do. Can't you just act pleasant for one night?"

"There's a reason I did not become a thespian."

"Which is exactly what I wanted to become," I replied. "So...I'm not going to give in to your side. So—" I flashed him a pleasant smile. "Good evening, sir, I hope you enjoy the rest of the party, wonderful mask and I hope I don't see it for remainder of the night."

I turned out of his arms and stalked off, leaving him alone in the middle of the dance floor. It took a lot not to turn around and look back at him, but I could imagine his eyes shooting daggers at me. Suddenly the party had gone down the drain for me. I just wanted to go back to my room.

_Why _did Caius hate me so much? I never did anything to him before. Maybe I was a little snide at times, but that was only because he was first (and it was kinda fun to irritate him). Though I seem to irritate him even when I say nothing. It made me so mad. Not that I expected everyone to love me, but so far he was the only one who hadn't accepted me. It was a hundred times worse than Rosalie being the only Cullen to accept me.

Unlike my thoughts of Alice, when I thought of Rosalie, I didn't feel any sadness. It did get me thinking about the rest of the Cullen clan though. I wondered what they were doing, and then I knew whatever they were doing was probably infinitely more uninteresting than being a guest at a Volturi masquerade ball. They pretended to be high school students, for God's sake, how stupid was that?

Aro was too close to the doors for me to try and slip out of the room. However, there was another set of clear doors that led—as I learned—out to the gardens. I went outside.

The sky was dark and clear, a sea of stars twinkling across it. It wasn't warm, but it wasn't uncomfortably cold. The stone paths were lit on either side with torches. It was beautiful. I found a small sitting area behind tall bushes, where there was a fountain in a square pond, and I sat on the stone bench.

The fresh air was glorious; it was the first time I was in it since I had entered the Volturi castle. I simply sat and relished it, and tried not to think of anything. It was wonderful, for about three minutes, until—

"Bella."

My breath caught in my throat at the familiar voice that came from behind me. I tensed, my hand clenching around the edge of the bench, but I didn't turn around. I wanted the voice to be real, but I had heard it so many times in my mind and it hadn't been real at all. This could have been one of those times. At the same time, I hoped it was just my imagination, and I wished it would go away.

"Bella?"

And then the voice came into my line of vision. A tall figure wearing a classical black suit, and an elegant gold mask. Even in the darkness, his golden eyes seemed to gleam, and his copper hair caught the light from it.

"Edward." My voice was dead.

He dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to him. "Oh, Bella," he said softly. "I'm more happy than you can know, seeing you tonight. Are your alright?" He pulled back, keeping his hands on my shoulders, and looked at my face. He looked puzzled. "What's the matter?"

I hadn't relaxed in his embrace. "Your here. You're really here."

He smiled. "Yes, of course. I'm really here, just for you."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Why are you here? What are you doing? How did you even get in here?"

He chuckled. "Calm down, love. I never left Volterra. I've been waiting for you, trying to come up with some way to get you back. A masquerade was a brilliant way to sneak in here."

"To...to get me back?" I echoed. Suddenly I recalled the way we had parted. He wouldn't change me, not even to save my life. He had betrayed me. I had screamed at him. Now, I threw him off of me and stood up.

"Bella?" he questioned, slowly rising to his own feet.

"What?" I snarled. "You thought you'd just come in here and _rescue _me? It's _your fault _I'm here in the first place! You left me. You left me, you said you didn't want anything to do with me! Do you have any idea how much pain you caused me? I had nightmares for months, I would wake up screaming, and it hurt just to think of you. It wasn't as if you never existed, it was as if you ripped my heart out and the pain never went away!"

He looked at me with a surprisingly tortured expression. "I'm so sorry," he said, his voice cracking, as if he was holding back crying. "I'll never forgive myself for what I've done to you. It was so hard to leave you, to tell you that I didn't want you anymore. That was the biggest lie I've ever told. The only reason I left was to protect you."

I momentarily softened at this, a familiar pain tugging at my chest. "Well, a lot of good that did me," I snipped.

"That's why I came here. I just wanted to...to make something right. I got you here, and I'm going to get you out." Determination was set in both his tone and expression. "We have a plan—"

I cut him off. "Edward, do you know what's going on right now?"

He didn't answer.

"They're throwing me a party," I said. "The Volturi are throwing _me _a party, to welcome me to their family."

I heard him growl quietly as he glanced past me, back up the path to the castle.

"I was having fun." And I didn't need to mention why I had stopped having fun. "I appreciate it, and this life is actually starting to grow on me. Edward...I don't _want _to go with you."

His eyes widened, stunned. "Bella..."

I shook my head. "I'm not going with you. Tell the rest of your family I'm sorry."

"Think of Charlie," Edward abruptly hissed. "Think of what you're doing to him."

He might as well have punched me in the gut. I pushed down the guilt and sadness to deal with the matter at hand. I glared at Edward. "You _bastard_. You're trying to use Charlie to make me feel guilty, just to come back for you. That's low."

His angry expression didn't change.

"You should leave, Edward," I said. "I'm going back inside now."

Finally, he sighed. He looked away sadly, his shoulders sagging and his hands unclenching, defeated. Pity slithered into me faster than I could suppress it.

"You can't expect me to forgive you so easily," I said, my tone softer.

He looked back up at me, agony in his eyes. "I suppose I never expected you to forgive me at all."

"I loved you, Edward," I said sincerely. "But you ruined that. I may still love you; it's a hard thing to get over. I just don't know. I need _time_ right now. Not you. So just...just leave me alone."

I quickly turned away and hurried back towards the castle, the way I came from, and the tears were already falling. I was able to choke back my sobs, taking deep, calming breaths as I wiped my face.

Aro had spotted me on my way out of the ballroom, and called my name. I paused for a moment at the door, and wordlessly slipped out of the room. The party was officially over for me.

* * *

Aaaaaaaand...I was lost again.

_Next time_, I thought, _I'm most definitely getting a map. I'll ask Jane to draw me a map, but I'm not stepping outside of my bedroom by myself without a map._

Then I froze. And looked around. Something about this intersection of halls was very familiar.

I realized I was in the same spot I was in when Felix showed up to harass me. Or the general area. What I recognized were the parallel halls of light and dark. The corridors with higher arches and skylights, where the beams of moonlight became torches compared to the darkness of the other halls.

I stopped in front of one.

I must have just stood there, deliberating, forever.

The hall was a real anomaly. It was so dark, everything looked like it was moving. the décor casted unusual shadows over the walls. The ceiling was low, the hall narrow. It felt like it was trying to swallow me, and I wasn't even inside it.

I moved just onto the line of light, staring down the long hall. It would have been so _easy _to simply take one more step forward, and say I was in the dark hall. But I had such a tightening feeling in my stomach that it was hard to move. I _wanted _to move forward into it, _so bad_. Fear made it impossible.

I _knew _something bad was in that hall. I just knew it. By why, then, was it so tempting? I had to weigh my curiosity against my fear.

And then I had an overwhelming feeling of wanting to walk the hall to prove something to myself. C'mon, I was the vampire girl, and if I could run with vampires, I could face a dark hallway. That's all it was; a dark hall and nothing more.

And that's all it appeared to be as I made my way tentatively through it. I was sure I was close to the end—whether it let out somewhere or was a dead end, I didn't know—when I heard noise from one room. There was light coming from under it. I heard laughter, and quiet talking.

Curious, I snuck up to the door, and leaned against it to listen. I heard both male and female voices. Laughter and...moaning? I didn't think at all it was anything I was supposed to be eavesdropping on, but I just couldn't help myself.

Then I realized the door wasn't close completely. I leaned to heavily against it, and the door unexpectedly flew open into the room, and so did I. I landed on my side, my elbow and hip instantly beginning to throb as I pulled myself up onto my knees and looked up.

Five pairs of crimson eyes stared down at me. The room was rather small, warm from candlelight, and melt like roses and _blood_. There were two men, humans, on the floor to the side, dead. Another human, and woman, was sprawled across the floor in front of the couch, naked and dead, with blood dripped down her neck and across her breast.

Then I realized who the vampires were. Alec and Felix were on one side of the couch, a naked woman between them, bite marked marring her from her neck to her breasts. As I watched to see if she was breathing, she was just barely, and then stopped. Alec and Felix both had blood around their mouths. Another to vampires, a male and a female I didn't recognize, had hostage another woman. The male was raping her, as she screamed into her gag and looked at me pleadingly with a tear-stained face. The female vampire held the woman's bound hands above her head and licked the dripping blood from a cut on the woman's shoulder. Then there was Jane, who was sitting in an armchair and looked as if she had just finished off the last human, a male. Her eyes widened as she looked at me, and she shoved the dead human off of her and stood up.

"Bella," she gasped. "What do you think you're doing here?"

"Bella," Felix purred as he slipped off the couch and sauntered towards me. He gave me the most sickening of smiles. "How _nice _of you to join us."

I was going to be sick, I knew it. My head was already swimming from the scent of the blood.

Felix shut the door, and before I knew it, he had picked me up by my shoulders and threw me onto the couch, on the other side of Alec. I opened my mouth to scream, but Felix was already on me, covering my mouth with his hand.

"Don't you dare, little girl."

"Felix," Jane hissed. "What the hell are you're doing?"

The other male laughed. "Lucky bastard, Felix. Can we share, please? I'll give you this girl."

The other woman hissed.

"Shut up, Sebastian," Felix said. He ripped my mask from my face and tossed it aside. "She's mine."

Alec shook his head slightly. "Felix...wait, no. I...I don't think you should." He groaned softly and closed his eyes, grasping his head between his hands. "Oh, those fool humans had too much alcohol in them."

"Yes," Jane agreed, and when I looked at her, she was sitting back in the armchair.

Felix turned my head to the side and licked my neck, slowly. I thrashed beneath him as widely as I could, screaming beneath his hand, but it was all in vain. He didn't move an inch.

"I'm not sure," he said, "if I want to drink you dry or just fuck you."

"Why not do both?" the other woman suggested.

Felix laughed, and ripped open the skirt of my dress with one hand. "Which first?"

I started to cry and shake my head, but I could see my begging would do no could.

Sebastian laughed at Felix's reply, but the noise was cut short at the same time someone gasped.

"Master," Jane cried in surprise, standing hastily but then stumbling back into her seat.

Everyone was as still as stone. I looked over and the best relief ever flooded to me. Caius stood in the doorway, his expression hard, and a storm raging in his eyes. He was beyond livid, and staring at Felix. As he stepped further into the room, Felix released me and stood up, no longer smirking. I sniffed and quickly wiped my eyes.

For what seemed like a very long time, Caius and Felix stood before each other and stared at each other. I noticed they were the same height. I almost didn't see Caius move, the strike was so fast, he had backhanded Felix so hard that the huge vampire fell back on the couch. It was such a surprise to me that I jumped and yelped before slapping my hands over my mouth.

Caius glared menacingly at the rest of the vampires before looking at me. He extended a hand towards me. "Come."

I slid off the cushion carefully, taking his cold hand. I had to step over a dead body, and force the bile back down my throat. I was shaking so badly I thought I wouldn't be able to walk.

As it was, I had to lean against Caius for support, which he said nothing about as we left the room and made our way down the hall. After a minute, I heard how erratic my breathing was. I clutched onto Caius's cloak with both hands, turned my face into him, and started bawling. He could tell how weak my legs were at the moment, and he scooped me up into his arms and carried me. I didn't object; I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my head there.

"Don't cry," he said. For the first time, his voice was not steely and harsh. It was very close to kind. "You're safe now."

* * *

**Happy Thanksgiving everyone! ! ! ! Be happy, be thankful, spend time with family and friends, eat yourselves into a coma!**

**Woulda had this uploaded earlier this morning, but _someone _(dad -_-) thought we should eat turky at 12:30, and when I was almost done with this chapter everyone was walking out the door and i'm like "WAIT FOR MEEEEE!" **

**I am thankful for a family that gets along (yeah right.) My house is full of f-yous even today. **

**But I would be thankful for some REVIEWS! and Im incredibly thankful to all of my readers! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!**


	5. Chapter 5

I whined as I began to wake up. I was so comfortable, I didn't want to wake and have to get up. I curled myself up tighter on my side, clutching silk covers under my chin. Then, unexpectedly, I felt a gentle tug at that same silk I had firmly clasped between my hand.

My eyes snapped open, and I was met with pair of dark crimson eyes. The color of blood. Mental images from the night before flashed in my mind, jolting through me like an electric shock. I gasped and kicked myself backwards, against the headboard, and hit my head pretty hard. A silent "ow" formed on my lips as I rubbed at the pain that knocked sense into me, and I realized who I was with. I also realize that it was not the covers I had grabbed, but his silken cloak and sleeve.

"What are you doing here?" I moaned softly, slipping back down into my comfortable position. "What...happened?"

Caius raised a pale eyebrow, almost disdainfully. "You don't remember?"

I thought for a moment, and grimaced.

"I remember yesterday," I said. "After I left the party. In that room... I just don't remember how I got here, back in my own bed."

"You fainted halfway here," he informed me. "I had to carry you, you recall. Then Marcus and Aro suggested that I _stay _with you, should you wake suddenly in the night or have any sort of—_why_...are you looking at me like that?"

I was smirking. "You tucked me in."

He scoffed and threw his head, shaking his platinum blonde hair, and stood.

"I missed out on the bedtime story though; did I get a kiss? Wait, wait—!" My hand darted out to catch his before he left. I only brushed my fingers against his cold skin, but it was enough to get him to stop and turn back. "I'm sorry; please don't leave me. I...I'd rather not be alone for right now."

He said nothing, but crossed his arms over his chest and looked away. At least he stayed, and, satisfied enough, I retracted my hand.

"What happened after you brought me here?" I dared to wonder. "What happened to...?"

"What happened?" he asked, tone clipped. "The night went on. I called for my brothers so that we may assess the situation, but essentially, they returned to the party. I was only allowed to mildly question the guards and have the human bodies disposed of. The guard members are now in the dungeon, awaiting their trial."

"Trial?"

"It will be held this evening, as soon as possible. The Volturi deal their justice swiftly. So, you may want to get up, and clean yourself up. You'll be attending."

"What?" I squeaked. "Me?" I coughed and shook my head. "Oh no. I don't think so. I want no more part of any of that. This. _Any _of this. I've already attended one of your trials, and you don't _know _justice. You only know vampire tyranny."

"What do _you _know?" Caius nearly shouted, throwing his arms down. "Little girl, you've leapt into a world which you have utterly no understanding of. Even _I _can see that. You're a child; naive and carefree and a perfect target for—for _telemarketers._ Your soul is less besmirched than a butterfly, and that _will _be taken advantage of."

I sat up, completely in shock, and remained silent as he continued.

"That is why I think you should have been killed. We would have had the guards kill you, or your vampire _boy _with whom you're so desperately in love with should have killed you. At the very least, he should have changed you." He rocked back on his heels for a second, thoughtful, briefly holding a hand over his heart. "That would have been better. Between having that physical strength and being kept perfectly _sheltered_, you probably could have lived a happy little life."

He paused, flicking out a hand and arching an eyebrow, looking at me searchingly. "But where is your boy protector now? You have no life with him now. He's gone. And how will you live your life? I almost _begged _Aro not to give you the choice to stay here. He seems to have some delusion that you're a miracle gifted to us. But _I_...I know you have no _potential_. I'm the only one who can see that. Vampire life is not suited for you. You are too pure. Too innocent. Too _good_.

"Much more, you can never be a Volturi guard. You must be ruthless, pitiless, cruel. You could never handle that, and last night proved so."

He stopped, and for a long time we simply stared at each other. By his clenched jaw and fiery eyes, I knew he hadn't gotten it all out, but he had said enough. I'm sure my own face told him that. He whirled around with a growl, stalking to the door.

"Clean yourself up. You look like a harlot."

And he slammed the door shut, leaving me alone.

* * *

I sat in front of the vanity about three hours later, still in my bedroom, staring at my reflection. My pale, boring, potential-less reflection. The hot shower I took rested my body, but did little for my mind. Only crying made me feel better, but only a little better. My hair had dried already, but the tears were still running. I didn't look great, but at least I didn't look like a _harlot_.

There was a knock on my door.

I gasped slightly and hastily wiped the wetness from my face. "Go away. I don't wanna talk."

I wasn't surprised when I heard the door open anyway. I huffed and shook my head, and turned in the chair.

Marcus closed the door softly behind him, and started walking slowly towards me. He was dressed in a black suit, red tie, black robe flowing behind him. His dark brown hair was neatly tied back. I still didn't really want to talk, but Marcus' presence wasn't one I minded or was ready to turn away.

"I'm sorry I did not visit you earlier, Bella," he said. "I was...contemplating...the situation."

I sniffed and lowered my head. "Yeah. So was I."

"What is wrong?" he asked gently as he reached me.

"Why don't you go ask Caius?" I suggested bitterly.

Marcus sighed, leaning one hand on the vanity table. "What did he do?"

I put my face in my hands and started sobbing. "He said telemarketers would take advantage of me!"

There was a long pause.

"Excuse me?"

I peeked through my fingers to see his furrowed brow, which only made me cry harder, pressing my face into my lap. "No one understands me!"

"Well, I am sorry, bambina, but you're not making sense." His tone was hopeless as he tried to understand, confused.

I took deep breaths and tried to quiet myself. "He—he brought—brought up Edward. He—he said—I'd be better—dead."

Marcus tsked softly and laid a hand on my head, stroking my hair. "Why would he say such things?"

"He told me—that—that—I could never be one of you! I'm not..._cruel _enough." I wiped my face against and swallowed hard. "I don't belong in the human world. I can't be a vampire. I can't be a Volturi. Where _do _I belong? What am I supposed to do? Where do I go?"

"Oh, Bella," he sighed. "That is merely one callous vampire's ignorant opinion. I would pay him no mind if I were you. However...if...you do value his words so highly, I can speak with him. If you wish."

I looked up at him. I wanted to smile, but I just couldn't manage it then. "Oh, Marcus, no. You don't have to do that. It's not that I value _his opinion_"—I sneered—"that I really couldn't give a shit about, 'scuse my French. It's just that...he's right. At least the Cullens...I mean, they drank animal blood. Thanks to yesterday, I _clearly _understand that you guys _don't_. Now what am I supposed to do about that? I can't be like you. Caius was right about that."

"My dear, no one said you must become a vampire. I believe we gave you the option."

I wasn't sure what it was about Marcus, but it was easy to confide everything in him. So I said, "But Aro _wants _me to be a vampire, doesn't he? He wanted Alice and Edward, for their talents. He thinks I'll have one. Right? And Aro...seems like the guy who always gets what he wants. How long will it be before I'm forced? Caius already said I have no potential, and you know I just can't do it."

"I doubt Aro would think of harming you in any way." I could hear the sincerity in his voice, but something told me he was the more oblivious of the three brothers. "It is true that Aro wishes for you to become part of our family in _that _way, but there was a reason he threw last evening's party while you are human. He thinks a lot of you, human or vampire. Personally, I believe you should remain human."

"Why?" I wondered.

A ghost of a smile touched his lips while his cold fingers caressed my cheek and slipped under my chin. "Because, Bella, your soul is too pure."

I turned away. _Story of my life_.

"Still, I would not think of such dark things, Bella," he continued. "You've had enough of that last night, and there is still one unpleasant matter to attend you. We need you to be a witness at the trial."

_Right. _I had momentarily forgotten about that. _How nice of him to bring it up._ I grabbed the hair brush in front of me, glaring at the mirror as I pulled it violently through my hair.

"Do I really have to go?"

"I'm afraid so. It will go much faster if you are there. You can turn the tide of the entire trial with you statements, condemn them—"

"Ow!" I hissed.

Smirking faintly—ever so faintly—Marcus carefully seized the hairbrush from me. "Allow me." And he began to gently untangle my curls as I crossed my arms over my chest, sulking.

"Condemn them?"

"Yes," he replied. "One way or another, they will be punished, for something. There were many transgressions last night."

"_All _of them?" I asked. I remembered the vampires in the group, and particularly that Jane was amongst them. Her part in it I just didn't understand. I just knew that I definitely had mixed feelings about it.

Marcus replaced the brush on the table and traded it for a hair band. His fingers started to lightly and swiftly move through my hair.

"I'm afraid so, Bella. But, that is why we are having the trial. Aro and I...we aren't sure at all what to make of it. It is disappointing, and bothersome. Caius... Ah, well, Caius. You understand, I'm sure."

And he was finished with my hair. I examined my reflection, pleased and somewhat awed. The work was an intricate single braid.

"Wow, Marcus, how did you learn to do that?"

He glanced down briefly. "I used to watch my wife do that. Sometimes I would do it for her."

There was a stab of sadness in my heart. Of course, I had no reply to that.

"Anyway," he moved on, "I had originally come in here to ask if you would join me in the library. From that stack of books on your bed there, I see you've been doing a bit of reading. I suspect we have things to discuss."

His eyes always shone a little brighter at the mention of these things, his favorite pastimes and such, our book discussions, and it hurt me to turn down his offered arm. But I just couldn't bring myself to get up and go with him. I knew it would be almost like dragging myself there, and I didn't want to bring my bad mood into the library.

"I'd rather just stay here," I told him softly. "I'm sorry. But I'll...I'll see you later."

He nodded. "Yes..."

He stopped at the door though, on his way out, and turned back to me. "Oh, by the way, Bella," he said.

"Yes?

"What is a telemarketer?"

* * *

_Complete asshole. Pompous, bipolar, ASSHOLE. Irrevocably, utterly, unconditionally. Absolutely cruel, and—and—and just plain MEAN!_

So what did his words really mean to me? NOTHING! Or...at least, I was trying to convince myself of that. And for a little while, it worked. I didn't care. And I was striding determinedly and happily to the library, taking up Marcus's offer after all, even though he left me about half an hour earlier. I threw on a pair of dark jeans and a black, puffy-sleeved blouse, and headed for the library, trying to push away all heated thoughts of Caius.

It took a little while to get to the library, because I...well, I...got lost again. Yeah, yeah, map, I know. Shut up. Caius was a bit busy earlier to ask, and I wasn't thinking about it when I was with Marcus. Then I would just need a map to actually find someone with a map. I think I was learning the way around a bit anyway.

I could tell the fireplace was going when I walked into the library, it was warm and smelt nice and homely. Another thing I loved about the library. I walked quietly down the aisles of books to where Marcus and I usually sat, but a froze when I spotted him. He was standing, facing me, but not looking at me. He was looking at another figure, lean and visibly tense, with snowy hair.

_Caius_.

Aro stood to the side, in the middle of the two, like a moderator. Marcus' bored expression always showed he was the calmest of them, or he just didn't care was Caius was screaming about. I hung back between the bookcases and hardly breathed as I listened.

"Hurt her?" Caius demanded. "I saved her life last night. Don't you see? That is how it will always be. I refuse to be her sentry. It isn't worth it."

My jaw clenched, as if I could keep the pain and anger from escaping that way.

"If she needs your protection, brother, you will give it to her," Aro said, his feather-light voice hardening slightly. "We are protectors, brother. Of the law. And Bella is under our law now. She is our responsibility, whether that was your decision or not."

"How dare you?" Caius hissed in return. "Have I not played my part? Have I not been a proper ruler? I haven't heard any complaints from either of you until _she _showed up."

"What explanation are you looking for?" Marcus asked. His tone was as soft and calm as ever, though this time there's was something distinctly sharp. "She has changed something, in some way strangely not visible. As if something spiritual. I can feel it. Do not doubt that you have felt it too."

"You are both _mad_. I feel nothing."

Before anyone could reply, Aro bent his head and squeezed his eyes shut, grabbing both Caius' hand and Marcus'. The three stood perfectly still. Caius had his back to me, so I couldn't see his expression. But something imperceptibly changed in Marcus. Was that horror? Surprise?

Suddenly Caius broke away, wrenching his hand from Aro's, jumping back. Clearly infuriated, he started barking at them in what I was sure was Italian.

"So that is it then," Marcus said. "I knew it."

"Knew _what_?" Caius snarled.

"You don't merely hate Bella, brother," Aro said. "You _feel _for her. Pity. Sympathy. That's why you want her death. You think it's some sort of a mercy."

"It is more than that," Marcus interjected. "I see it, between the two you. You—"

I shifted my weight for a moment, and the carpet beneath my feet creaked. I cursed mentally as the three of them froze. Before I could start retreating backwards, I was viciously yanked from the shelf and dragged forward. I cried out in surprise and tried to tug my wrist from Caius's grasp, but there was no possible way to fight that kind of strength.

He threw me forward and I stumbled into the arm of one of the lounge chairs. Neither Marcus or Aro did anything, just stood there and looked at me. They didn't look very angry, but I didn't get to think anymore about it. I turned around to face Caius again.

His face was hard, his eyes glaring murderously into mine.

Then, without a single word, he turned sharply and left.

* * *

**Wow, don't we all just _love _Caius now? Ass. **

**We shall see the trial in the next chapter! ! ! How do you guys think it will go? What punishments do you think they deserve? Just curious. **

**I am calling on the Undergroundlings! Labyrinth fans, how many of you are there reading my Twilight stuff? Again, just curious, because I intend to merge the fandoms very soon. Could be risky, but I'm willing to try.**

**Don't forget, go check out the story "The Snow King" the Bella/Caius fanfic that I co-write with BellaMacleod, on whose profile you can find the story, or in my favs list. **

**PLEASE REVIEW! THANK YOU FOR READING!**

**I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas btw. Or a happy holidays. I'm never politically correct, but I would feel bad if I offended any of YOU GUYS. Because you guys are awesome.**


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